3 killed, scores injured in road mishap
Three persons were killed while others were injured in a road accident along the highway in Barangay Catoogan, Pototan, Iloilo early Friday morning.
Confirmed dead upon arrival at the Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Rumbang, Pototan were 45-year-old Nestor Solis, his mother-in-law Loreta Paloma and Segundina Jaleco, all residents of Barangay Tagobong, Passi City.
The victims succumbed to head and body fractures as a result of the strong collision.
The Pototan Police said the incident happened at 5 a.m. The Isuzu Elf truck driven by Solis was heading toward the direction of Iloilo City when it partly collided head-on with an oncoming 10-wheeler truck before it smashed the concrete fence of a residence along the highway in Pototan.
Solis and Paloma were pinned to death in their seats and had to be pulled out by responding rescuers who rushed them to the nearby Iloilo Provincial Hospital but were declared dead on arrival.
The strong impact caused injuries to at least 27 persons on board the Elf truck. They were rushed to the hospital in Pototan before they were brought to the different hospitals in this city for further treatment.
Nine seriously injured passengers were confined at the Western Visayas State University Medical Center here including Jaleco who expired shortly upon arrival in the said hospital.
Several others were transferred to the Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao district including Nestor's wife Nilma Solis who sustained fractures in both legs.
The Isuzu Elf truck was carrying more than 35 passengers who are residents of Barangays Tagobong and Bagacay in Passi City and about to attend the wedding of Nestor Solis' stepson, Arnel Gumayao in Bugasong, Antique.
Iloilo Governor Niel D. Tupas and Passi City Mayor Elyzer C. Chavez have assured the victims of financial assistance.
(PNA)